easyJet to spread its wings in Germany after landing €40m deal with Air Berlin

British budget airline easyJet has reached an agreement with Air Berlin to acquire part of its operations at Berlin Tegel Airport, in a €40m deal.

Subject to regulatory approvals, the acquisition is expected to close in December later this year.

The acquisition will result in easyJet entering into leases for up to 25 A320 aircraft, offering employment to Air Berlin flying crews and taking over other assets including slots.

The company has in turn launched a recruitment campaign to attract around 1000 of Air Berlin’s pilots and cabin crew who will be recruited over the coming months and will then be trained on easyJet’s safety and operating procedures.

Planning to source the staff locally, the business says the deal will help it to attract more customers in both Germany and mainland Europe with the agreement building on easyJet’s existing base at Berlin Schönefeld.

easyJet will make announcements on the new routes and services to be flown to and from Tegel in due course, with a full summer schedule for 2018 expected shortly.

Releasing a statement this morning, easyJet said it ‘looks forward to building on the strong, customer focussed platform it already has in Berlin to fly more passengers, employ more people and support more economic growth in both Berlin and Brandenburg.’